WHERE OCEAN AND IDENTITY MEET, A DEEPER STORY OF RELATIONSHIP, RESPONSIBILITY AND PRESENCE UNFOLDS

stick figures singing and playing guitar
Two men sitting on rocks by the ocean, smiling at sunset, with a pier in the background.

ABOUT THE FILM
Length: 90 minutes
Status: In Production
Primary Locations: Western Australia, Indonesia, Tonga
Featuring: Jono Allen & Tom Cannon
Director: Lisa Thomas
Producers: Cassandra Hampson, Lisa Thomas & Honny Palayukan
Director of Photography: Kyle Roepke
Production Company: Morii Media Productions

In the Wake of Giants is a feature documentary that follows ocean storytellers and conservationists Jono Allen and Tom Cannon as they journey across the Indo-Pacific exploring humanity’s relationship with the ocean, and questioning what true protection of the natural world really looks like.

Moving between the remote coastlines of Indonesia, Western Australia, and Tonga, the film immerses audiences in communities whose lives remain deeply connected to the sea. Through intimate encounters with marine life, local traditions, and evolving conservation efforts, Jono and Tom are forced to confront the contradictions within their own beliefs about tourism, storytelling, conservation, and human impact.

As their journey unfolds, the film explores a growing tension between connection and intrusion, asking whether the very act of bringing people closer to nature can sometimes place it at greater risk.

In the Wake of Giants invites audiences into emotionally and culturally complex spaces where conservation, identity, tradition, and survival intersect. In places where ancestral ways of life continue alongside increasing outside influence, the film observes communities navigating questions of continuity, responsibility, and change.

The film is not about villains or heroes, but about people trying to protect what they love while grappling with the consequences of a rapidly changing world.

Through cinematic underwater imagery, observational storytelling, and personal reflection, In the Wake of Giants becomes both a journey across oceans and an inward examination of our relationship with the wild places we admire.

  • Director: Lisa Thomas
    Director of Photography: Kyle Roepke
    Featuring: Jono Allen & Tom Cannon
    Producer: Cassandra Hampson
    Co-Producer: Honny Palayukan (Western Australia + Indonesia)
    Production Company: Morii Media Productions

    Filming is supported by local contributors, regional guides and community knowledge holders across Western Australia and Indonesia. Participation unfolds at the pace and comfort of those involved, ensuring time, consent and presence guide collaboration rather than extraction.

  • The film takes a patient, immersive approach that prioritises trust, lived experience, and emotional honesty. Conservation is not presented as a simple solution, and the documentary allows competing perspectives and contradictions to exist alongside one another.

    Across each location, the production works closely with local communities, guides, scientists, and cultural leaders to ensure the story is shaped through collaboration and respect for place.

    The focus remains on emotional connection and human experience, creating space for reflection and conversation around conservation, tourism, cultural survival, and our shared responsibility to the natural world.

    The film examines the tension between protection and intrusion, and the unintended consequences of bringing people closer to the wild.

  • Status: In Production
    A significant portion of production has been completed, with field work continuing in Western Australia and Indonesia. Post-production will take place in Australia, with sound, music and picture developed together to support immersion, emotional movement and a sense of place.

    The film is shaped around an internal journey rather than a traditional problem–solution arc, inviting audiences to sit with complexity, presence and relationship.